New Recipe

My aunt and uncle have been gracious (and brave:o) enough to let me try my hand at the culinary arts each Thursday night for the past several weeks. Thankfully, we have managed to achieve some sort of caloric intake each of those nights thus far, and I have had a BLAST in the process. I cooked a lot when I was in jr. high and high school, but after moving out and realizing the cost (and pain) of having hundreds of ingredients on hand whenever I wanted them, my ability to enjoy actual cooking was greatly diminished. (Added to this was the fact that I was suddently aware I would be the only person consuming that 9x13 casserole...for the next month...) Now that my aunt and uncle have been gracious enough to indulge me, I'm exploring new recipes and re-discovering old family favorites. It's been a little bit like those cooking shows I occasionally catch glimpses of where the person is cooking and ingredients just appear "as if by magic." I of course tend to roll my eyes and think, "Right." However, my current situation is actually remarkably like that. On Sunday or Monday of each week I select a recipe, and by the time I go to cook it on Thursday each ingredient has "magically" appeared. I am so blessed!(Unfortunately my uncle has suggested that they might not appreciate me quite so much as a house guest if I'm still here 40 years from now...;o) So, all of that to say, I tried out a new recipe this evening and really ended up enjoying it. I know how much I appreciate getting new recipes from others, so I thought I'd try contributing for once.:o) Enjoy!

Southwestern Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
• 1 Tbsp. cooking oil
• 2 cups shredded beef master recipe (see recipe below)
• 1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)
• 4 onion rolls, split and toasted, if desired
• 1 cup shredded lettuce

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat about 4 minutes or until tender. Add shredded beef, undrained tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until heated through and desired consistency. Stir in cilantro.
2. To serve, sprinkle some of the cheese over bottoms of onion rolls. Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture over cheese on each bun. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the shredded lettuce. Add roll tops. Makes 4 servings.

Shredded Beef Master Recipe:Trim fat from a 3 to 3 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast. If necessary, cut beef to fit a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Place 2 large onions, cut into thin wedges and 2 cloves garlic, minced in the cooker. Top with beef. In a medium bowl, combine 1, 14-oz. can beef broth, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed; 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper. Pour over beef in cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 11 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-1/2 to 6 hours. Remove beef and onion from cooker, reserving juices. Using two forks, shred beef, discarding any fat. Skim fat from juices. Add onion to beef; add enough juices to beef to moisten. Place 2-cup portions of beef in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 6 cups.

*Note: There seems to be a great deal of flexibility in this recipe. At least I think it turned out ok in spite of my modifications. For example, I used garlic powder instead of the cloves, black pepper instead of the cayenne pepper, less dry mustard than it called for (because I ran out:o), fewer onions, ground thyme instead of crushed, etc. Goodness! Now that I think about it, perhaps I should not be recommending this recipe. I have no idea what it actually tastes like!:o)